Node.js can be added to an OpenEmbedded Linux build for inclusion into the image's rootfs. After establishing the image build configuration, additionally append the following line to the oe-core/build/conf/local.conf file:

IMAGE_INSTALL_append = "nodejs"

Then execute (or re-execute) 'bitbake' for the image (ie. 'bitbake angstrom-lxde-image'). For more information about building a Linux image, see OpenEmbedded (core).

Since Node.js is a server-side interpreter for the Javascript language, it is expected to perform slower than a compiled language such as C/C++. However, because of its event-driven paradigm, it may well suit web I/O intensive tasks, such as implementing a web server.

Still, Node.js can also be viable for tasks that aren't very CPU intensive, which may be a fast development solution since Javascript is a high level programming language.